In the House, they are stepping up the pressure:
Congressional Democrats said on Tuesday that the arrest of a former senior White House budget official involved in organizing the federal response to Hurricane Katrina demonstrated the need for an independent investigation of the government's reaction to the disaster, especially since the official is married to a leading Republican Congressional aide.In the Senate, there is more action coming:
The official, David H. Safavian, 38, a lawyer who was chief of procurement policy in the Office of Management and Budget until he resigned on Friday, was arrested Monday on charges of lying to federal investigators about his relationship with Jack Abramoff, a Washington lobbyist at the center of a corruption investigation at the Justice Department.
New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg said Wednesday he will offer an amendment to create an independent panel, similar to the Sept. 11 Commission, to look into the government's efforts regarding Hurricane Katrina.Given the cast of political hacks, like Safavian and Brownie, running key parts of the Bush Administration, it's no wonder the GOP wants to keep things under wraps.
The panel would have subpoena power, said Lautenberg, a Democrat who planned to introduce the amendment Thursday when the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee meets. Lautenberg said his amendment was based on legislation introduced by Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., in proposing the creation of the Sept. 11 Commission.
We'll need to really put the pressure on to make this happen.
